The Arab League called an emergency meeting to convene Sunday amid mounting warnings that Israel’s unilateral recognition of Somaliland threatens regional and international security. This comes as 21 states and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation moved swiftly to condemn the Israeli move.
Israel had announced on Friday that it formally recognizes Somaliland as “an independent and sovereign state.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Foreign Minister Gideon Saar and Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi signed a joint declaration of mutual recognition. Netanyahu said the step would pave the way for the immediate expansion of bilateral relations in agriculture, health, technology and the economy.
The Arab League also announced it would convene an emergency meeting at the level of permanent representatives on Sunday to formally reject Israel’s recognition of Somaliland as an independent and sovereign state.
Somalia’s permanent representative to the Arab League and its ambassador to Cairo, Ali Abdi Awari, said Mogadishu had requested the emergency session to confront what he described as “dangerous decisions” that undermine Somalia’s sovereignty and unity.
He said the meeting seeks to condemn Israel’s “irresponsible decision” and to reject it “clearly and explicitly,” in solidarity with the Federal Republic of Somalia and in defense of the principles of national sovereignty and territorial integrity of Arab states.
On Saturday, a joint statement by the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Algeria, Comoros, Djibouti, Gambia, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, the Maldives, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Qatar, Somalia, Sudan, Turkey and Yemen, alongside the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, rejected Israel’s declaration recognizing Somaliland as an independent and sovereign state.
The ministers said Israel’s decision carries “grave consequences” for peace and security in the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea region, with far-reaching repercussions for international peace and security. They said the move lays bare Israel’s “clear and complete disregard” for international law.
In their statement, the ministers' described Israel’s recognition as a flagrant violation of international law and the United Nations Charter, which enshrines state sovereignty and the preservation of territorial integrity. The ministers reaffirmed their full support for Somalia’s sovereignty and rejected any measures that would undermine the country’s unity, territorial integrity or sovereignty over its entire territory.
The statement warned that recognizing the independence of parts of sovereign states sets a dangerous precedent, posing a direct threat to international peace and security and to the established principles of international law and the UN Charter.
Separately, the European Union said on Saturday that it respects Somalia’s unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity in line with Somalia’s constitution and the charters of the European and African unions. The EU urged what it called constructive dialogue between Somaliland and the Somali federal government to resolve outstanding disputes.
As Arab and international condemnation intensified, Israeli media reported that Israel’s recognition was linked to an understanding for Somaliland to receive Palestinians from Gaza. Somaliland’s foreign minister, Abdirahman Dahir Adam, denied that Gaza had even been discussed, while underscoring that Somaliland remains unrecognized internationally as an independent state.
In an interview with an Israeli television channel, Adam said countries other than Israel, including the United States, are reassessing the question of recognizing Somaliland. He insisted Israel’s recognition had no connection to the war on Gaza, adding, “Somaliland has neither discussed nor agreed to host or receive Palestinians on its territory.”
Meanwhile, former Egyptian assistant foreign minister Mohamed Hegazy said Egypt stands “with awareness and firmness” against all schemes targeting the Palestinian cause. In televised remarks, he said Egypt had confronted—and would continue to confront—any attempts to link forced displacement to Somaliland or other countries.
Israel’s Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper reported that Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi paid a secret visit to Israel last summer, meeting Netanyahu, Israel’s defense and foreign ministers, and Mossad chief Dedi Barnea, ahead of Israel’s formal recognition of Somaliland as a state.
Somaliland is a self-declared breakaway region that unilaterally seceded from Somalia in 1991. All countries have treated it as part of Somalia, making Israel the first state to formally recognize it.
Israel’s recognition has renewed scrutiny of the security and strategic dimensions of the move, particularly given Somaliland’s location on the Gulf of Aden near the Bab Al-Mandab Strait. The step is widely seen as likely to heighten tensions, threaten security and navigation in the Red Sea, and disrupt global trade routes, including traffic through the Suez Canal.
Observers say any Israeli political or military foothold in the area would amount to an effort to encircle Yemen’s Ansar Allah resistance movement and restrict supplies reaching them, amid the war triggered by Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza.
The recognition comes as tensions in the Horn of Africa continue to escalate, opening the door to a diplomatic crisis likely to deepen. While there is broad Arab and African consensus rejecting Israel’s move, Israel has insisted on pressing ahead, as wider international positions are closely watched for signals that could shape the crisis and its implications for Red Sea security and international shipping.
The move also coincides with strained relations between Egypt and Ethiopia over Addis Ababa’s construction and operation of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam without consultation or coordination with downstream states Egypt and Sudan.
In January 2024, Ethiopia signed a memorandum of understanding with Somaliland granting Addis Ababa access to the port of Berbera on the Red Sea in exchange for recognition of Somaliland’s independence. The agreement prompted Mogadishu to withdraw its ambassador from Ethiopia, triggering a crisis that continues to escalate.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi reiterated Egypt’s support for Somalia, saying during a joint press conference with Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud in January 2024, “We will not allow anyone to threaten Somalia, and no one should test Egypt.”
On Aug. 27 of that year, Egypt sent two aircraft loaded with weapons and ammunition to Somalia following the signing of a joint military cooperation protocol between Cairo and Mogadishu earlier that month, along with an agreement to launch a direct flight route between the two capitals.
